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Titanfall 2 : Bigger and Better

Some good news has arrived for those of us who enjoyed Titanfall but have hopes to see the franchise expand and improve its stable and exciting game. Recently Blake Jorgensen the CFO of EA spoke about the sequel to Titanfall. He said, “It will probably be a bigger footprint than just a single platform. I think that’s a huge positive for us.” I couldn’t agree more about this being a big step forward, and here’s why.

Broad reach = bigger budget

If EA is looking to expand the platform reach of Titanfall beyond the XBOX, they will certainly increase the budget for the next title. This is great news for a few reasons. First, the engine and servers for Titanfall ran as smooth as glass, especially in comparison to the abysmal and inconsistent performance of Call of Duty Advance Warfare. Why does the smoothness of the game’s performance matter? It matters because when you have a solid foundation to build on, you can focus purely on innovation and greater amounts of content. Rather than attempt to bridge the gap between old-gen and next-gen, EA can spend all efforts and focus on making the next Titanfall a stout jam-packed release. The bigger budget is also good news because with a firmly established brand, they stand to benefit from the dwindling Call of Duty numbers and carve out a huge chunk of the pvp shooter crowd.

Standby for improvements

While the strictly multiplayer model is courageous, I think there are some simple ways to expand the platform without throwing the identity of the game out the window. First, a fully co-op 6-8 player campaign is an absolute must. With the incredibly smooth movement mechanics, powerful titans, and barrage inducing weaponry, the game is begging for big and tactical cooperative missions. Imagine half a team charging forward in titans, taking out large barricades and turrets while the remaining ground troops flank or sneak into bases and access computer systems that need hacked while the titans stay outside to defend against incoming reinforcements. Then the captured intel would need to be taken on foot like a presidential escort to an extract point. Or have a vehicle convoy that must be driven by some players and defended by titans as they move through jungles and cities. A variety of titans with specific objectives tied to their abilities would also create dynamic missions. These are just two mission ideas off the top of my head, but you can tell there is huge potential for the next title.

Second, a variety of classes and roles for pvp would be an easy way to add depth. Stealthy but fragile snipers with targeting lasers for auto-titans to focus fire, stout slow-moving engineers who can deploy shield bubbles or quickly heal titans, or assault grunts with deployable turrets or jet-packs are just a few ideas. Having this variety could feed newer and more complex game modes. Instead of just having large engagements or typical game modes where snipers would camp or assault grunts would spray and pray, you could force players to have synergistic cooperation in order to achieve victory. For example, snipers would have to focus their attention on destructible turrets or defenses that only they can destroy with their rifles, and the assault grunts would then advance and blow open doors that only they could destroy, and then engineers would run in to hack a system that only they can hack. This is how you make a game less repetitive and more exciting: add layered objectives that require specific roles and classes.

No hype needed

EA does not need to over-hype or over-sell the next title. Anyone who played Titanfall knows it’s a solid platform ripe for expansion and new content. Just deliver a hefty release with lots of variety and fresh methods of playing pvp as well as cooperative engagement. That’s the best way to keep it from feeling like a DLC expansion and more like a strong standalone release.

Agree, disagree, or have ideas of your own? Share below in the comments. Please share this entry on facebook and twitter if you enjoyed it.